Stampede Meat Expands via Partnership with Georgia Smoked Meats and Sous Vide Processor

Feb. 1, 2023

Stampede Meat is partnering with DL Lee & Sons, Inc., a smoked meats processor located in Alma, Ga., some 100 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Fla., to give it the largest sous vide processing capacity in the U.S.

Andy Hanacek

Bridgeview, Ill.-based meat and food processor Stampede Meat announced a unique collaboration that reportedly will give the company the largest sous vide-processing capacity in the United States.

Stampede is entering into a partnership with DL Lee & Sons, Inc., a smoked meats processor located in Alma, Ga., some 100 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Fla. The facility allows Stampede to expand into the southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico, and features approximately 155,000 square feet of processing space, including smokers and sous vide ovens. The plant can produce 80 million pounds of product annually, according to reports. Brock Furlong, CEO and president of Stampede, called the move “so much more than an acquisition,” in a statement released by the company.

“We feel our Stampede company values align with the Lee family’s values — both brands strongly committed to our customers,” he said. “Together, we can expand further and proudly serve our growing network of foodservice and retail customers.”

The plant represents the third geographic expansion for Stampede in the last five years — having opened a facility in Sunland Park, N.M., in 2018, and a plant in Cambridge, Ont., Canada, in 2021. Stampede still operates its first three Illinois processing plants in Bridgeview, Oak Lawn and Bedford Park.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.